Word Origin & History

excuse early 13c., "to clear (someone) from blame," from O.Fr. escuser, from L. excusare "release from a charge," from ex- "out, away" + causa "accusation, legal action" (see cause). Meaning "to obtain exemption or release" is from mid-15c.; that of "to accept another's plea of excuse" is from early 14c. The noun sense of "that which is offered as a reason for being excused" is recorded from c.1500. Excuse me as a mild apology or statement of polite disagreement is from c.1600.

Example Sentences for excuse

Indeed this is an important reason for celebration, but not a corollary good excuse for complacency.

The only thing that has changed is the excuse used to limit intellectual exchange.

And sunsets are a perfect excuse for shooting silhouettes.

Scientific uncertainty often becomes an excuse to ignore long-term problems, such as climate change.

The excuse is that the collision, if there is one, won't happen for another three or four billion years.

It used to be that a good excuse for not growing edibles was lack of room.

Cell-phone users who want to get out of work or a dreaded dinner date now have a handy excuse.

Many colleges cite lack of money and poor student preparation as an excuse for appalling failure rates.

Plus, as someone else said, it would only be an excuse to relax on the anti-pollution measures.

The juror should write a letter to the clerk of court requesting an excuse with an explanation of hardship.